1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices employing media-handling mechanisms and, more particularly, to the determination of maintenance intervals for these devices.
2. Related Art
Media-handling mechanisms are incorporated into many types of devices for handling and transporting media. For example, printers, copiers, scanners, and facsimile machines utilize media-handling mechanisms to select a sheet of media from a media input tray, transport the sheet through the device, and deposit the sheet in an output tray. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,564,847 and 6,167,232, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, are examples of media-handling mechanisms. Media, as used herein, includes paper-based media and transparencies, along with any other type of media suitable for use with the media-handling mechanism or for the particular device incorporating the media-handling mechanism.
Maintenance contracts, warranties, and equipment leases for devices containing media-handling mechanisms often base their charges or services upon an accurate measurement of the use of the corresponding device. Thus, the accurate determination of the maintenance interval, based on the amount of use of the device, is critical for estimating the service requirements and wear-and-tear of the components comprising the media-handling mechanism. For example, an inaccurate maintenance determination may result in a media-handling mechanism or device failure being categorized as a failure covered under a warranty rather than a failure due to a lack of proper maintenance. In contrast, an accurate maintenance determination may result in a more reliable device, increased user or customer satisfaction, improved scheduling of the maintenance cycle and improved bid estimates for maintenance, warranty, or lease agreements, and reduced maintenance costs for parts and labor.
Maintenance intervals for media-handling mechanisms can be based on counting the number of sheets of media that are transported from the input tray. As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,388, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, provides an example of a page counter used to count the number of pages printed in a printer. The media-handling mechanism requires maintenance, for example, after 350,000 sheets of media are transported from the input tray. The media-handling mechanism, as an example, will include a counter for this purpose. However, some counters neither consider nor correct the count value in the event of a media jam or other malfunction, which prevents a sheet of media drawn from the media input tray from reaching the media output tray.
Furthermore, various sizes and types of media are often transported through the media-handling mechanism. For example, the media size may vary from an envelope (e.g., 99 by 195 mm.) to legal (e.g., 216 by 356 mm.). The media type may also vary in terms of quality, such as ranging from rough, recycled paper to plain, photo-quality paper, for example. Quality refers to the quality of the media in terms of the amount of wear caused by the media on the media-handling mechanism due to its roughness, for example, or due to contaminants contained within or on the media, such as fiber, filler, coatings, or dirt that affect the operation of the media-handling mechanism. As an example, smooth, plain, standard paper would have a higher quality rating than would rough, bond paper.
The size and type of media that is transported through the media-handling mechanism will affect the accuracy of the determination of the maintenance interval, because of the difference in wear-and-tear on the media-handling mechanism from one size or type of media to another size or type. However, the counter that simply counts the number of sheets of media will fail to take these factors into consideration. As a result, there is a need for an improved maintenance interval determination for a media-handling mechanism.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, an improved maintenance interval determination for a media-handling mechanism is provided. The determination of the maintenance interval will not only consider the number of sheets of media transported by the media-handling mechanism, but also other factors, such as the size of the media or the quality of the media.
In accordance with one embodiment, a method of determining a maintenance interval for a media-handling mechanism, the method includes determining the number of media sheets transported by the media-handling mechanism; determining a media type for each of the media sheets transported by the media-handling mechanism; and calculating a maintenance interval count based on the number of media sheets transported by the media-handling mechanism and the media type for each of the media sheets. The method may further comprise determining a media size for each of the media sheets transported by the media-handling mechanism, with the maintenance interval count calculation further based on the media size for each of the media sheets transported by the media-handling mechanism.
In accordance with another embodiment, an apparatus having a media transport mechanism includes a processor; a memory, coupled to the processor, storing the number of media sheets transported by the media transport mechanism and at least media size or media type information; and wherein the processor calculates a maintenance interval count based on the number of media sheets transported by the media transport mechanism and at least the media size or the media type information for each media sheet transported.
In accordance with yet another embodiment, a machine-readable medium is provided for use in an apparatus having a media transport mechanism and a processor, the medium having instructions that are executed by the processor to perform a method of determining a maintenance interval for the media transport mechanism. The method includes receiving the number of media sheets transported by the media transport mechanism; receiving at least a media type or a media size for each of the media sheets transported by the media transport mechanism; and calculating a maintenance interval count based on the number of media sheets transported by the media transport mechanism and at least the media type or the media size for each of the media sheets.
A more complete understanding of the present invention will be afforded to those skilled in the art, as well as a realization of additional advantages thereof, by a consideration of the following detailed description of one or more embodiments. Reference will be made to the drawings that will first be described briefly.